SDPB Legacy Society: Supporter Spotlight

Gene Ellenson, Huron

Originally from Britton, Gene has lived in Huron since 1991, where he is Business Manager of Dakotaland Feeds. He is also a CPA. Crunching numbers days, evenings, and weekends, Gene often had the radio tuned to SDPB for company. He’s a big Jazz Nightly fan. He started supporting SDPB in the 1990s and went on to not only become Treasurer for the Friends of SDPB Board, but is including SDPB in his planned giving. “I’ve been fortunate and giving to SDPB is a way for me to decide to take charge, make a commitment to this organization,” says Gene. “SDPB has been a very important part of my life for a long time.”

“Public broadcasting has a big role to play, especially in South Dakota, of providing information. I wasn’t necessarily looking for anything from public broadcasting, but I’ve received a great amount. It’s made me a much more well-rounded person, given me a much broader worldview. I want to enable that for others.”

Gene Ellenson.

Steve & Mary Helen Flanery, Rapid City

Steve and Mary Helen grew up in Huron. The offspring of prominent Huron business owners, Steve’s family operated Flanery Meats, while Mary Helen’s (nee Gustafson) ran Habicht & Habicht Department Store. The couple first met, seated alphabetically, at Washington Elementary School. Although they both graduated from Huron High in 1973, they didn’t date until 1980, when they both found themselves living back in Huron and literally ran into each other downtown. “Steve had just finished breakfast at the Chef Café and I was coming from the post office,” says Mary Helen. Steve was a Caterpillar salesman and Mary Helen, who graduated with a psychology degree from the University of Minnesota, was back to run the family store.

Selling bulldozers and road graders, Steve traveled to every county in South Dakota. “I was on the road for 25 years, and SDPB was everywhere I went, so I listened to SDPB forever.” After her family retired from retail, Mary Helen worked at home to raise daughter Mary Beth and son Stewart. “They couldn’t yet tell time, but they always knew when it was time for Barney and Thomas & Friends!” says Mary Helen. Now retired, the Flanery’s are including SDPB in their estate planning. “We both decided there were certain organizations we wanted to leave a gift to upon our deaths,” says Steve. “And we both absolutely agreed on SDPB. It was our number one.” Mary Helen cites thoughtful news and unique entertainment. “The reporting is unbiased and programs like Antiques Roadshow are fabulous.”

“The list of programs we tune in to is so long!” says Steve. “Masterpiece, Frontline, American Experience, POV, Dakota Life, All Things Considered, In the Moment with Lori Walsh. I’m a music nut and I love No Cover, No Minimum and Austin City Limits. Now we stream with the Passport app. I just love to get plugged in to not just the nation and the world, but South Dakota.”

“It needs to continue,” says Mary Helen. “And there’s no one else that does it the way SDPB does it.”

Steve & Mary Helen Flanery.

The SDPB’s Legacy Society is composed of generous and forwardthinking donors who will support SDPB’s long-term success through a planned gift. Becoming a Legacy Society member ensures that we will remain South Dakota’s most trusted news and entertainment outlet for generations to come.

Planned gifts give you the opportunity to leave your mark on this vital resource. Whatever your stage in life, it is a good idea to think about and plan for how your affairs will be handled. A few simple steps can help ensure your loved ones are protected and that the charitable causes that mean the most to you are remembered. Please consider joining the more than 150 families who have made Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting part of their estate plans. To learn more about creating a legacy visit SDPB.org/friends/legacy.

To discuss planned giving contact the Friends office at (605) 677-5861 or email friends@sdpb.org.